How can we make the energy transition more fair, inclusive, and community-driven while using data to accelerate progress? ⚡
During a workshop organized recently by the Center for Energy System Intelligence (CESI), three key projects exploring diverse concepts to involve citizens in the energy transition were discussed. Researchers shared powerful insights on how communities and ecosystems can actively drive a more inclusive energy transition.
Alexander Los and Isis van Rooy presented findings from the DE-CIST project, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, IHS, Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam, Resilient Delta Initiative, and the Gemeente Rotterdam. Their work uncovered key themes of justice, inclusion, autonomy, and fairness by exploring how different stakeholder groups experience power imbalances within the energy transition.
The Local, Inclusive, Future Energy System (LIFE) project, presented by Abhigyan Singh, examined the connections of energy production and consumption between industry, municipality, and community members living in Amsterdam’s Bijlmer. Given the community’s complex history, building trust was essential to the project’s success. The outcome of this co-creation process was the setup of an energy cooperative among the residents, which will support energy sharing and negotiations with industry partners.
Knar O. presented insights from the ENERGENIUS (Horizon Europe) project, emphasizing the important role of social and qualitative research in the energy transition. The project will also experiment with a digital twin, wearable technology, a chatbot, a serious game, and a marketplace, to explore how people interact with energy technologies and what influences their acceptance.
The session concluded with a demonstration of EnergySHR by our Data Analytics Support Engineer, Zaman ZiabakhshGanji, who is part of our Erasmus Data Collaboratory Data Lab team. This newly developed platform enables the sharing of energy-related datasets, algorithms, and models. Designed according to the FAIR principles for open data, EnergySHR supports collaboration among researchers, helps reduce duplication of effort across projects, and therefore has the potential to boost energy-related research and innovations.
💡 Within the Convergence collaboration between TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Center for Energy System Intelligence (CESI) was established to enable a data-driven approach to the energy transition. In the past, the complexity of these approaches often resulted in lengthy planning processes and sub-optimal outcomes for investors and operators.
CESI aims to solve this issue through a data-driven approach that delivers reliable, accurate, and on-time solutions to the challenges related to the energy transition, supporting a faster, more efficient, and inclusive energy transition.
